Shadows: Fallen Hope
by Angel of Kind Miracles
Summary: Hopes are shattered. The light at the end of the tunnel is slowly grasping out of our reach. Can the digital world regain the lost light? TAITO. SORATO. JYOUMI. KOURA. TAKARI. DAIKEN. IORYAKO. GABUGATO, VEEWORM
1. Shattered Hopes

**Hey finally publishing some of my fanfiction drafts. I do not own Digimon.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Chapter One**

Pain. Suffering. Torture. Never before had darkness been so powerful in the likes of the digital world it had always been defeated by the powers of light. At the present moment light could not be seen at all it was all darkness and pain. Digimon were running for their lives being blown into several pieces. Chuumon and Sukamon were running trying to find a place where they could find safety an attack hit them both sending them flying separately in different directions. Chuumon shivered at the cold look in the digimon's eyes. The digimon raised his black sword and slashed Chuumon in two blood spilling around the tiny pink digimon as its body cut up into pieces and he was deleted.

"Chuumon!" Sukamon cried desperately trying to run to his friend hoping what he had just seen was a nightmare but sometimes reality is harsher than what we may see in our darkest dreams. Sukamon knew his life wouldn't be spared either he felt the sword go through his body the pain he felt was worse than one dying a thousand times he felt tears fall out of his eyes from the sword going through he closed his eyes and his existence washed away like the waves flowing backwards at a beach.

At a far away distance there was a small cave inside it 12 digimon watched what was going on. The digimon of light Gatomon shivered from what she saw happening to Chuumon and Sukamon. She walked over to Patamon looking to the others her blue eyes showed helplessness and grief from what had been going on. Patamon frowned hating to see his best friend look so miserable he wrapped his wings around her in comfort and held her in a hug he knew it wouldn't do much considering he could sympathise with the turmoil she was feeling with the turmoil no doubt all of them were feeling.

"What can we do? Digimon are dying and all we are doing is sitting here watching it all happening like a movie and the worst part is fear has made us stop in our own tracks because we know if we even make an attempt to stop this we'll end up disintegrated from the world like Chuumon, Sukamon all those other digimon who have been dying." Gatomon said a tear rolling down her cheek. Biyomon sighed wrapping her wings around herself trying to bring some comfort but to no avail. Biyomon shook slightly they were being such cowards all of them.

"Sora…don't ever come here I don't want you wrapped up in this mess." Biyomon said shakily pain clearly could be seen in her eyes but no one could do much to comfort her because the reality was they all felt the same way it probably was the harsh reality but maybe all those battles they had won had actually all been for nothing. That was when Leomon spoke up he was the one who had helped them find shelter and security to which they were all grateful for.

"It may be necessary to gain help from the Digidestined even though it seems downfall will reach even them they cannot possibly defeat this…I've always believed in you and them and that's why I'm doing what I have to. I will distract those dark digimon you guys make an escape go directly to the real world and…this may be our last meeting please save our world…we're counting on you." Leomon said and Gatomon gulped holding back tears knowing they would kill Leomon without mercy as well like they had done with the other digimon.

"Thank you Leomon we'll try our best thank you for all that you did for us." Agumon said honestly struggling to keep his own tears at bay which wasn't easy for him considering Leomon was one of their good old friends. Agumon turned to the others.

"Get ready to run faster than you ever have guys and try to remain close to one another." Agumon told the others with a grim expression on his face. Gabumon held Biyomon close as she had begun to cry from all of what was happening she struggled with the fact that the once brave chosen digimon were abandoning so many friends just to save their own lives what in the world was happening to them? They had never lost or given up so easily they had never before resorted to such methods of cowardice that would save their own lives.

Leomon went outside and the dark digimon turned towards him. Leomon held up quite a fight giving the chosen digimon time to run but one of the dark digimon saw them and tried to send a blast aiming it precisely towards Biyomon. Gabumon moved quick pushing Biyomon forward towards Palmon who grabbed her best friend's wing and ran as Gabumon was hit backwards by the blast being separated from the rest of them he fell off the edge of the cliff as the blast was surprisingly powerful.

"Gabumon!" both Biyomon and Patamon cried out for the loss of a close friend. Biyomon had tears on her eyes as Palmon pulled her away making sure they were heading out of firing range. Patamon felt tears in his own eyes as he caught a glimpse of Leomon being slashed by both sides. Leomon's screams of agony ran in their ears even when they were far away from what was happening to their friend. Patamon held Gatomon close as they managed to reach a portal that would lead them to the real world. All the digimon were crying not only for Leomon but for losing Gabumon.

"We're a bunch of cowards we're running away to save our own skin." Veemon said causing Gatomon to flinch the truth was she felt exactly the same way she knew Kari would be so disappointed in her for her being like that but she was sincerely scared right now but even know she knew it was no excuse for what they were doing.

"Come on let's go to the real world." Gatomon murmured not looking to anyone as one by one each of the digimon were sucked into the portal of the real world hoping there was something that would save them all and keep the digital world from falling to pieces right now at the present moment it seemed hope was like the summer birds to swiftly flow away darkness was everywhere and no path of light could be seen not even a small of ray of the light of hope.


	2. Path to Recovery

**Hey there! Thanks for the review, mahwish :) Please keep reviewing and encourage your friends.**

**Chapter Two**

The chosen digimon arrived in the real world in the computer room. Coincidentally enough some of the younger Digidestined and Izzy were already there. The younger ones who were there were Davis, Kari, Cody and Yolei none of them had an idea of where T.K. and Ken were though Davis had told them that Ken would catch up to them soon but he did not know where T.K. was at the present moment. Seeing the digimon back in the real world was rather surprising for them all but at the same instant they were all happy to see them and rushed forward greeting their digimon.

"Gatomon...it is so good to see you again it's been awhile hasn't it?" Kari said warmly hugging her digimon close to her. The brunette's eyes seemed to widen to an impossible size when the feline digimon moved away from her embrace. Kari felt her heart ache as she looked into her partner and best friend's eyes she saw pain, helplessness, fear and a dozen of other emotions.

"Don't Kari...I don't deserve it none of us do all we are is a bunch of cowards." Gatomon said her voice breaking as she said this. Kari felt fear well up inside her heart she had never seen Gatomon sound so broken and helpless before and the truth was it scared her more than anything.

"Gatomon...what is going on? Is there something happening in the digital world? You know we're always ready to come and help in the digital world whenever it's in danger." Kari said then looked at Davis for help considering he usually was the one who never gave up the one with the most courage of them all but right now even he seemed at a loss for words since Veemon wasn't even communicating with Davis which the gogglehead did not take too well considering him and Veemon were like brothers. However, hearing Kari he managed a small smile trying to sound and look hopeful despite the situation, honestly where was T.K. when you needed him?

"Yeah, Kari's right besides we can easily take down those bad guys. Right Veemon?" Davis said softly looking to his best friend hoping he would say something, anything seeing Veemon like this scared Davis more than anything he almost wished he could hit Veemon over the head to bring him to his senses but it was obvious him and the other digimon had been through something that had really made them break.

"You should really stop being overconfident in everything I would have thought our adventures would have taught you that!" Veemon snapped his voice coming off as sounding annoyed. Wormmon moved closer gently embracing his friend. Davis sighed feeling relieved even though Veemon had snapped at him at least he had talked. Despite his worry Davis could not help but smile at the fact of Wormmon comforting Veemon.

"I wasn't being overconfident but I have firm faith in the Digidestined. I always have and always will we've gone through a lot together no matter how tough the obstacle was we always overcame it by working as a team having faith in one another but most of all having faith in ourselves and not quitting like cowards. That's what I learnt from our adventure Veemon that no matter how horrible the road ahead may look there is always a light at the end of the tunnel." Davis said firmly and Kari couldn't help but smile at how much her friend had matured throughout all this time. Veemon managed a small smile but the guilt inside him was eating him up inside. Finally Yolei spoke up and they turned to her.

"Guys, why don't I call over all the Digidestined both old and new then you guys tell us what happened from the beginning." Yolei said in a soft voice and Hawkmon nodded his agreement though he wasn't talking much either. Yolei was worried but she was trying to focus that worry into focusing on how to tackle the problem.

"That sounds good Yolei by the way guys where is Gabumon? Didn't he come with you?" Kari asked the digimon and Biyomon felt tears rolling down her face. The poor bird digimon was shaking from what had happened as well as sadness and self loathing that it was because of her Gabumon was probably off injured and broken somewhere.

"He saved my life we had to leave him otherwise we would have gotten killed." Biyomon said shaking from the pain she felt for deserting a friend. Gatomon moved over hugging Biyomon gently trying to bring some comfort to the poor bird digimon though she had a feeling her comfort would not do much. All the Digidestined were gathered around minus Mimi who was still in America.

Once all the Digidestined were gathered there was some attempts at greetings from the humans but the digimon were very distant. Sora felt tears forming in her eyes as Biyomon seemed to push her away. Matt wrapped an arm around her shoulder and Sora leaned into her friend's touch as it felt comforting.

Agumon began to explain the situation in the digital world with some comments from the others. By the time he was finished the only thing that could be used to describe the looks on the faces of the Digidestined was shock and it had stunned them into complete silence which was quite humorous if one saw it from a distance considering some of the rather talkative ones which meant Tai, Davis, Mimi and Yolei were unusually quiet. Matt felt his hands shaking slightly if the condition of the digital world was that bad and Gabumon was there who knew what condition he would be in if digimon were being killed at every minute then what if Gabumon was...no he could not bring himself to think the worst in a situation but as much as he hated to admit it the situation he was picturing seemed quite possible.

"Gabumon..." Matt murmured sinking into his chair. Sora took a seat besides him laying a gentle hand on his shoulder trying to be of some comfort to her close friend but the truth was she was breaking apart herself on the inside.

"He'll be okay Matt, Gabumon's tough." Sora said though her voice held doubt she looked over at Tai, their eyes met and she could see the worry in them as well. He tried to give her an encouraging smile but it turned into a grimace. Tai sighed moving besides his best friend not really sure what to say. He looked over at T.K. for help after all he was Matt's brother maybe he could help reassure Matt.

"Matt we can't give up hope I know things seem bad but we've never let that stop us before? Remember Appocalymon? He turned us into bits of data yet we still managed to defeat him we'll defeat these guys too." T.K. said trying to sound hopeful which wasn't the easiest task right now but somehow they needed to bring back that positive attitude in them if they hoped to win. Everyone was losing hope and right now the chances of winning against these new enemies was quite low but T.K. knew if they gave up they would get killed as well. Kari moved over to T.K.'s side, grasping his side and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"T.K.'s right." Kari said softly looking at the others. "We've been in tough situations before after all. We couldn't even beat the Dark Masters first and got ourselves beaten pretty badly. Sure, this enemy seems tough but none of our enemies were easy."

"But if our partners didn't stand a chance against them then what chance do we…?" Ken began, knowing he was taking a rather pessimistic approach to things but he felt as if he had no choice considering how down the digimon looked. He felt Davis's hand on his arm and turned to look at his best friend and DNA partner?

"MaloMyotismon trapped you guys in illusions." Davis reminded his best friend with a small frown. "If we managed to beat him through working together we can beat this guy too. Sure, our digimon have lost their confidence but we can help them get it back."

"We need to get to the digital world though and fast." Matt said frowning urgently as his thoughts drifted to Gabumon again. Sora reached over, taking his hand and squeezing it as Davis moved towards the computer to open the digital gate.


	3. Rocky Roads

**Thank you so much for the reviews everyone. Each and every review means something special to me so please keep on giving me your feedback. As for my grammar, I know it isn't perfect but I am trying to improve. If anyone is willing to be a proofreader for me just for general grammar mistakes, please send me a message or mention it in a review. Please Read & Review. Once again, I do not own Digimon nor its characters.**

**Chapter Three**

As Davis opened the Digiport, they were sucked into the digital world and had a crash-landing though the digital world wasn't exactly known for having the best landings. The condition of the digital had worsened. Smoke emerged from the nearby forest and screams could be heard that pierced through the ears of the DigiDestined. Kari shuddered slightly wrapping her hands around her ears at the ear-piercing shrieks that came from all around them.

Sora's eyes seemed to widen and her body shook upon the sight of the digital world she wrapped her arms around herself shaking slightly from what she saw. Matt could not bring himself to comfort her as he too was stunned into silence upon seeing the digital world like this.

"Tai, what do we do?" Sora asked her best friend since no one was saying anything. It scared the redhead at how quiet and sad her digimon seemed it was a known fact that Biyomon was one of the more talkative and chirpier digimon who was always so happy, always willing to talk to someone if they were upset.

Tai himself didn't look as courageous and determined it was an odd sight if anyone saw the Digidestined now, one would not believe these were the same children and digimon who had saved both worlds many times before.

"We have to help the digimon in trouble. Not only for Gabumon but for all those digimon who are dying. The darkness that is causing this no matter how tough it looks we have to the digital world is counting on us." Tai said clenching his fists trying to sound determined but his voice cracked. A part of him wished Mimi was here. She was almost as optimistic as he was and could actually give him some courage as well.

Davis had to admit he really admired the fact that Tai was trying to put on a brave face though it was clear he was quite scared and it was kind of hard not to be. Hearing the fact that digimon could die and it was happening every day in the digital world was not only a shock but a horrible piece of news that changed everything. Seeing Tai try to put on a brave face made Davis bite his lower lip and tried to push his own fear aside.

"Tai is right we've faced unexpected things before and always managed to win, things seem hard now but we have to have courage and work together." Davis encouraged managing to make his voice sound slightly firm.

The others nodded and were surprised when Gatomon spoke up.

"We were supposed to protect them all and what did we do? Save our own skin, Veemon was right we're cowards." Gatomon said in such an agonizing tone that it made Kari's heart ache. Veemon moved over to where Patamon and Gatomon were and grabbed Gatomon by the shoulders turning her to face him, wiping away her tears.

"We may not have done the smartest thing to save our own skin but Gatomon if we helped protect them and were killed in the process, there would be no one left to protect them and the digital world. I know that sounds bad but right now we need to push our fears aside and throw all our strength into fighting this enemy. We can do it. I won't deny I am scared too but there is too much at stake." Veemon said softly and hugged her gently wiping away her tears smiling at her, trying to make his smile look encouraging. Which it did at least a little.

Davis couldn't help but smile seeing Veemon comfort Gatomon; he looked to see Patamon's reaction and to Davis's surprise the little hamster was smiling as if he knew something the others didn't. Before the gogglehead could say anything, he felt a gentle arm wrap around his shoulders and looked to see Ken there.

"As long as we have you as our leader, I know we can overcome anything." Ken mumbled in a low voice so only Davis could hear. Davis smiled a little at that albeit he blushed at the comment as Ken squeezed his shoulder. His eyes met with his best friend and Davis nodded in agreement.

"I know we can." Davis agreed sounding much more confident than he had moments before.

"This is what our world has become. Filled with eternal darkness." Biyomon snivelled sadness filling her voice. Biyomon squeezed her eyes shut as the painful screams grew louder in volume and she motioned the others to follow her.

"We need to get away from here they're coming this way." Biyomon trembled fear coming to her voice causing Tai's fists to clench. He really didn't want to run away from this and he could tell Davis thought the same but they knew they had no choice, after all the digimon knew more than them so they began to run they finally reached a cave.

Before anyone could say anything a weak voice came from behind them.

"Matt…?" A frail voice called out causing them all to turn. Matt's eyes widened as he saw Gabumon sprawled over the floor, cuts and bruises all over the digimon's body he rushed forward turning the digimon around.

"Gabumon…" Matt murmured unable to stop the tears he had been holding in anymore. Sora, being the natural mother of the group moved forward enveloping the other in a hug. T.K. patted his brother's shoulder trying to bring some comfort to him but both he and Sora were at a loss for words. Biyomon was also looking sadly at Gabumon, tears streaming down her cheeks this was all her fault she had not been able to help her closest friend the one she loved like a brother. Joe moved over checking on Gabumon and managing to tend to him as best as he could.

They all heard a loud roaring noise causing Gatomon to flinch.

"They're heading this way!" Gatomon whispered worriedly causing Tai to stand up he wasn't sure what to he looked towards Davis, their eyes met they both knew they couldn't keep running like this they had to fight back.

"Guys you have to digivolve we have to try and fight back we need to believe in ourselves." Tai instructed gently looking to Agumon who appeared to look slightly hesitant at that. Biyomon grabbed his arm looking to him slightly pleadingly as if silently asking him to have courage.

"Okay let's do it Tai." Agumon agreed he had to try even if it got him killed he was willing to do that for the digital world. Patamon flew over to Agumon's side.

"I want to help too." Patamon said softly and T.K. hesitated he wanted to fight but if something happened to Patamon. Kari put a hand on his shoulder giving him an encouraging smile.

"We'll all help." Veemon spoke up yes, he was scared beyond imagination but he had to try and help somehow they had to win like they always had.

"Okay then digivolving time guys!" Davis cried trying to sound encouraging as he held out his digivice.

"Agumon warp digivolve to…Wargreymon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to…Birdramon!"

"Birdramon digivolve to…Garudamon!"

"Gomamon digivolve to…Ikkakumon!"

"Ikkakumon digivolve to…Zudomon!"

"Tentomon digivolve to…Kabuterimon!"

"Kabuterimon digivolve to…MegaKabuterimon!"

"Patamon digivolve to…Angemon!"

"Gatomon digivolve to…Angewomon!"

"Veemon digivolve to…ExVeemon!"

"Hawkmon digivolve to…Aquillamon!"

"Armadillamon digivolve to…Ankylomon!"

"Wormmon digivolve to…Stingmon!"

The digimon all take a step outside confronting the enemy. There were 3 Devidramon, a LadyDevimon, Airdramon, SkullMeramon and a MadLeomon. Davis ran over to Ken, Kari, Cody, Yolei and T.K.

"Guys let's go from the air to confront this enemy we have to work together." Davis said causing the other four to nod in agreement as they went up with their digimon.

"Kari, be careful!" Tai cried as he watched his sister go up with the others. He bit back a wince as Wargreymon was thrown back. Tai wondered if he had made the right decision after all letting the digimon fight he had to admit after seeing Gabumon's condition like it was it made him nervous.

"T.K.!" He heard Kari and Yolei cry out causing him to snap into his senses as he saw T.K. and Angemon being thrown downwards. T.K. crashed to the ground hard while Angemon dedigivolved to Patamon.

"Okay this is really not going in our favor." Kari said sounding nervous as she bit her lower lip. Davis got ExVeemon to move closer to Kari and Angewomon so they wouldn't get blasted out of reach.

"Cody! Watch out!" Yolei cried as her best friend was thrown back she flinched as he landed next to T.K. . She then saw a blast heading towards her and Ken she closed her eyes knowing this was it. The end all they had done for the digital world up till now had been for nothing they were going to die she knew it, she was going to miss the chance of telling Ken how she felt, she was going to miss the chance of living a normal life. Another line of attacks interrupted her train of thought.

"GARGO PELLETS!"

"FLOWER CANON!"

"ICE BLAST!"

The enemy's attacks were thrown off path and Tai turned to see Mimi, Michael and Willis there. Relief filled his heart seeing more allies. Mimi jumped down besides him.

"Is everyone alright?" Mimi asked concerned looking over at Tai. Tai nodded and smiled at her.

"I'm glad you came over to help." Tai admitted softly and Mimi smiled.

"How could I not?" Mimi asked gently. "I could never abandon my best digital friend at a time like this."

"There's something making these guys more powerful." Izzy called out towards Tai who frowned.

"What level are they?" Tai called back. If they knew what level the digimon were, it would be easier for them to work out a strategy to fight back.

"SkullMeramon and LadyDevimon are Ultimate but Devidramon and Airdramon are only Champion Level." Izzy said beginning to go through his Digimon Analyser and look up the digimon through it. "I can't get any data on MadLeomon, it just says he's an Undead digimon."

"Well, he's obviously Undead considering he's alive." Tai muttered tactlessly and Mimi rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly.

"I don't think that's what he meant, Tai." Mimi laughed a little at Tai's comment. Her eyes widened as Lilymon was thrown down to the ground, dedigivolving to Palmon and she rushed over to her, cradling her partner. Tai gritted his teeth. This battle was not going in their favour at all. Suddenly, as fast as they came the digimon disappeared and another digimon took their place. A digimon the younger DigiDestined didn't feel they'd ever see again. Daemon stepped forward, looking completely unharmed from the last time the DigiDestined had faced him.

Ken turned pale, upon coming face to face with Daemon again and Davis grabbed his arm, pulling him behind him.

"It's good to see you again, Ichijouji Ken." Daemon sneered staring him down. "This time, I will take what I want." He advanced further causing ExVeemon and Stingmon to move in front of Davis and Ken. Davis extended his arms out, turning himself into a living shield between Ken and Daemon as the Demon Lord advanced further.


	4. Torn Apart

**Once again everyone thanks for the reviews and I have a mini-rant, why do betareaders take so long to respond to you? I give up, I'm just going to learn as I go. I should warn you Daiken fans especially as this chapter will be a bit more angsty than the others so hold on tight to your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!**

**Chapter 4**

As Daemon came closer to the four, T.K., Kari, Yolei and Cody moved besides them as did Angewomon, Ankylomon and Aquillamon ready to help defend Davis and Ken.

"EVIL INFERNO!" Daemon conjured up a large amount of flames hurling them towards the group. The force of the attack was so strong that it threw all the digimon back. While the digimon had taken the brunt of the blast, the following blast by Daemon cut through Davis's body like knives.

Davis held out his arms to attempt to shield himself from the force of the attack but cuts appeared on his arms and legs. Blood began to seep from the wounds and the brown-haired gogglehead had to use all his will not to scream out as he fell back. Ken cried out in alarm catching his wounded best friend in his arms.

"Davis!" Ken cried, desperation and worry ringing through his tone. He forced back tears knowing salt would only infect Davis's wounds further than they were already. Davis's breathing was unsteady and he subconsciously gripped Ken's hand tightly.

"It'll be ok…" The indigo-haired boy managed to get out. His voice was choking up as he forced himself to remain strong for his dearest friend. There had to be something he could do. Davis had always saved him, always protected him from the worst of enemies and now he had gotten hurt doing so. He always resulted in people being hurt because of him. Ken was beginning to feel he was cursed, because of him his brother died and now Davis was at the doors of death as well. He couldn't lose Davis like he had lost Sam.

"I know it'll be ok." Davis whispered softly. Although his voice sounded frail, it still held a spark of confidence that he usually had. "I know I'll be okay as long as I'm with you." With that, his eyes closed, his world fading out of consciousness.

Ken had to use all the possible self-control he had in order to not tear up at Davis's words. He was brought out of his depressing thoughts by Daemon suddenly grabbing him and he yelped in alarm being forced to let go of Davis who fell to the ground. It was then he took notice of the situation and noticed that the digimon had all dedigivolved to their rookie forms' and the younger team's partners all looked exhausted. He squirmed against Daemon's grip, struggling to break free so he could look after Wormmon and Davis.

"Let me go, I have to help them I have to…" Ken struggled harder albeit Daemon tightened his grip on him even though it didn't cease his struggling. It did make him jerk back slightly. If he weren't so worried about Davis, he might have felt fear on what Daemon was going to do him, but the fear had taken a back seat right about now.

"The only way you can help them is to hand yourself over." Daemon muttered in his ear causing Ken to stop. Dread filled inside him and he looked at Davis, sprawled unconscious on the floor before his eyes drifted towards Wormmon who was barely conscious himself.

'How many people are going to get hurt trying to protect me?' Ken thought, clenching his fists. 'I have to protect them. It's what Davis would want.'

"They can't digivolve you know." Daemon spoke up again causing Ken to halt in his thoughts. "As long as I have the Dark digivice, they can't digivolve."

"Don't surrender to him, Ken!" T.K. cried stepping forward, a worn out Patamon in his arms. He knew the odds were against them, but when had that ever stopped them before? His palms were sweaty and his knuckles were white from the nervousness of the whole situation going on. Davis's condition was also worrying. Breathing out through his nose, the blond haired boy approached Davis who was being checked over by Joe.

Despite not being as close to Davis as Ken was, he knew one thing for sure that no matter how hard things got, the goggle-head leader would never want them to surrender Ken. He looked down at Patamon, torn. It was clear from the way Daemon was talking he might not have knowledge of Armour Digivolution. That was something they couldn't be certain of either but it was a good enough guess to make considering the Digimon Emperor hadn't known about it and it was an Ancient Evolution.

"D-Davis would want me to protect you guys." Ken stammered, slightly shakily having stopped struggling against Daemon's grip as he looked at T.K. "Just save him, T.K. and protect Wormmon for me. I don't care what happens to me as long as he survives. Just…" He hung his head in defeat.

"N-no K-Ken-chan…" Wormmon stuttered out weakly. "I won't let you give up." He cried out in pain as Daemon blasted him back.

"WORMMON!" Ken cried beginning to struggle again albeit Daemon inserted a thin white needle inside him. He felt pain fill inside his body, like a thousand knives were pulling in and out of his body, thoroughly weakening it. He felt his eyes beginning to close and his body was suddenly too weak to struggle anymore. It was if he were slowly fading away within the darkness and the darkness was enveloping.

"Davis…" was the last thing Ken muttered before his world went black.

"Ken!" T.K. cried making to rush forward albeit Matt grabbed him. "Let me go, Matt! I have to save him! Ken's one of us, I'll never forgive myself if Daemon…" He struggled as Matt pulled him closer to him as Daemon's cackle echoed through the place like a dark nightmare coming to reality as he disappeared from the place, an unconscious Ken in his clutches.

"We couldn't have saved him right now T.K." Matt counselled his distraught brother gently. "Not without a plan. Our digimon were all at rookie level not to mention exhausted from what happened. We need to get Davis to the hospital and come up with a game plan."

"W-we could have armour digivolved." T.K. argued, feeling hopelessness arrest him. How will Davis react when we tell him Daemon kidnapped Ken? Even today, he remembered Davis's devastation when Oikawa had kidnapped Ken right in front of their eyes. This would be a lot worse for him considering he hadn't been able to do much to stop him. The blond haired boy buried his head in his older brother's shoulder. He was supposed to be the Bearer of the Crest of Hope but how could anyone have hope at a time like this? Davis was in a critical condition, Ken was kidnapped and their digimon were battered and beaten. The only possible way of fighting Daemon was Armour Digivolution because he held the Dark Digivice.

Yolei hung her head. She knew she should have done more but what could they do? They couldn't beat Daemon last time, what chance did they stand now? Had they lost already? There was no way Ken could stand up against Daemon without even Wormmon at his side. She wondered if she'd ever see Ken again. Ever see him shy away from them and cling to Davis. Ever get the chance to tell him how she felt? She wanted to believe she would but Daemon was so strong, was there any ray of light at the end of this tunnel of darkness? Fear settled within her stomach, she had never felt so scared. Davis could die and once their leader was out of the path, the enemy would target them next.

Kari felt a tear roll down her cheek. She had wanted to help but felt her legs were frozen. Seeing Daemon made her feel as if she couldn't move a muscle. Something about his presence terrified her. It was almost like the feeling of being at the Dark Ocean intensified ten times worse. Seeing T.K. so devoid of hope scared her even though she felt proud that he had tried till the end to try and save Ken from Daemon. 'But his efforts fell short' The brunette thought sadly to herself. She felt Tai's arm wrap around her shoulders.

"It'll be okay, Kari." Tai's confident voice said gently allowing his sister to rest his head on her shoulders. "I know things seem bad now but we need to have courage. We're the only hope this world was. If we drop in a white flag, who'll stand up to Daemon and the other enemies? I know you're worried about Ken and Davis. We all are. But we'll get through this."

Kari wanted to believe his words and a part of her did feel a tiny bit hopeful that things really would be okay. The only problem was a tiny voice in her head kept reminding her that the last time they had faced Daemon, they had been forced to send him to the Dark Ocean because their digimon even in their Ultimate and Mega forms had been defeated. The thought scared her more than anything. If they couldn't defeat Daemon back then, what was the difference now?

"Willis, T.K.," Joe's urgent voice snapped everyone to attention. Willis had been thinking about Ken and Davis, wondering what was between the two of them. They seemed rather close almost as close as he and Davis had been. A part of him couldn't help but feel slightly envious of this fact, while the other part felt angry that because of Ken, his friend had gotten so injured. However, he snapped to attention as Davis's older friend Joe called his name.

"Can you help me support Davis?" Joe asked the two of them. "We need to get him to a hospital."

"But what about Ken?" Cody asked softly. "We can't just leave him with Daemon either." He knew he had acted resentful towards Ken at first after he had stopped being the Digimon Emperor but that was the past. Even then, he wouldn't have wished such a horrible fate on him considering he had no idea what Daemon had planned for him.

"Why shouldn't we?" Willis asked, still feeling a bit annoyed at Davis replacing him. "I mean Ken's the reason Davis is like this, so Davis takes priority right now."

"Ken's our friend too!" T.K. retorted frowning unable to believe Willis would suggest for them to abandon their friend.

"Well, sometimes you have to be forced to make a choice on who to save." Willis said flatly, thinking of how he couldn't save Lopmon from his horrible fate before. He knew he was being unreasonable right now but he didn't care.

T.K. glared at Willis and the other met his cold gaze quite calmly. T.K. heard Kari say something to try to break the tension but it fell on deaf ears. The tension was so strong that it could not even be cut through with a knife.


	5. A Small Ray of Hope

**Thank you to StarPurpleandBlue, Onix and Chibi for joining in the reviews of this fanfic. As I said, every review holds a special place in my heart as it encourages me to continue writing. It's nice to see feedback of your hard work. A big thanks to StarPurpleandBlue for pointing out a continuity error in the fanfic regarding Mimi in Chapter 2. Also, after the tense last chapter, this chapter will be a bit calmer than the last. Thanks to Little_Krus for betareading this chapter. Btw guys if the chapters are taking longer it's because I try to self-edit a bit before sending it to editing so hope it was worth the wait!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The tension in the air was much too thick and Kari nervously approached forward, wrapping an arm around T.K.'s shoulder to hopefully calm him down.

Finally, T.K. broke eye contact with Willis, allowing Kari to gently pull him away.

"We should get Davis to the hospital," she suggested, trying to get everyone thinking and out of the depression they were sinking into.

"But Ken…" T.K. trailed off, hanging his head in shame.

"We'll begin searching for Ken once we have Davis tended to," Tai said firmly. "I know this is a hard decision to make but we're not sacrificing either of them. Just prioritising." He shut his eyes, hoping Ken could hang in there a little longer. He knew he had never gotten to know the indigo-haired boy well but he could tell that he meant a lot to the younger group. Was he being selfish? Davis was like a little brother to him and he meant a lot to him but he felt as if a part of him was choosing to sacrifice Ken in order to save Davis. He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Mimi.

"This isn't like you, Tai," Mimi stated bluntly, causing the gogglehead to look taken aback for a moment. "Doubting yourself like that... You'd never choose one team member over another. Don't you know yourself well enough by now to tell that?"

The brown-haired girl was being very straightforward as per usual but she felt as if Tai needed that. He was questioning himself and doubting his decisions. Someone needed to set him straight. He was their leader after all.

Tai let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Mimi's words made his doubts subside and he put his own hand on top of Mimi's.

"Thanks Mimi," Tai said, a small smile gracing his features.

"Anytime," Mimi responded, returning a glorious smile of her own. She felt someone glowering at her and looked back.

It was Michael. He quickly averted his gaze, though, causing Mimi to frown. She wanted to ask him about it but controlled herself, knowing they had more important matters to deal with.

T.K. moved towards Joe and helped him support Davis on his back, and although Willis came to help, T.K. turned away from him. Kari squeezed his hand gently, knowing he was upset with Willis's words earlier. Being best friends for so long allowed her to sense these things, especially when he was upset about something.

The group managed to get Davis to the hospital on time as Joe had tended to him enough for him to at least become stable. A few hours passed and these hours felt like decades. T.K.'s knuckles were turning white and he kept on biting his lower lip, torn between worrying for Davis and wondering how Ken was hanging in there.

Finally, the nurse came out and informed them that Davis had regained conscious.

"Only one of you is allowed to see him," the nurse said. "Mr. Motomiya's condition is still quite frail but he is awake."

"T.K., you should go," Matt urged.

The said teen looked at his older brother with a frown.

"How can I?" he asked, guilt crawling its way up inside his heart again. He closed his eyes shut. He knew someone needed to let Davis know what had happened but how when he was so injured? "I failed to save his best friend. He'll never forgive me for that."

Kari's heart ached seeing T.K. like this. Seeing him so devoid of hope made her own hope falter slightly but she knew she had to be strong. She moved forward and rested her hands on T.K.'s shoulder blades.

"You didn't fail anyone," Kari counselled him. "But if you give up hope now, we'll lose against Daemon before we even try. Ken's counting on all of us, T.K. Only together can we stand a chance to save him. If you want to support Davis, be there for him when he needs a friend." Her chocolate brown eyes gazed deep into T.K.'s sea blue ones as she gave him a soft smile.

T.K.'s heart thudded wildly in his chest with Kari so close to him. Her words gave him strength, and as she looked into his eyes, his heart skipped a beat. A smile came to his own face and he nodded.

"You're right," he agreed, although he still felt a bit nervous.

Patamon flew to sit atop his head while DemiVeemon jumped into his arms. "Relax T.K.," Patamon encouraged his partner, feeling a bit fresh after T.K. allowed him to take a short nap. "Davis will understand."

"Thanks Patamon."

Patamon smiled and flapped his ear-like wings, hovering, as he watched his partner heading towards Davis's ward.

"Say hello to Davis for us!" Salamon called out and DemiVeemon couldn't help but laugh, despite the circumstances.

"Of course," the blue Digimon replied, flashing a grin at the small puppy-like Digimon, which she returned. He knew they were all trying to keep their hopes up somehow, for Davis's and Ken's sake, as well as for Minomon's sake, who had been quiet and secluded ever since Ken had been abducted in front of their very eyes.

Terriermon looked at Willis, who was acting stubborn, and sighed. He wondered why his partner was acting so jealous of Ken.

"Willis, won't you make sure Davis is alright?"

"I think T.K. can handle things for now," Willis replied, trying to keep his voice even, albeit some bitterness still managed seeped in.

T.K. paused and sent a dirty look in Willis's direction, then turned and went inside the room. He had always thought that Davis and Willis were rather close with each other and was in disbelief that the latter was acting this way.

* * *

T.K. entered Davis's ward and saw him lying on the bed. It scared him seeing Davis like that, considering he had always been the gogglehead of their generation—strong and active. Seeing him lying there like that, bandaged and scarred with burns, made that feeling of hopelessness attempt to arrest him again, but he forced it down, remembering Kari's encouraging words. He had to have courage and be strong for his friend.

"Hey Davis," T.K. began. He took a chair and pulled it beside his bed, sitting next to him. "How are you feeling?"

Davis managed to sit up in the bed, albeit he did it with some difficulty. He was still a bit groggy from Daemon's attack as it had been a rough one for him. His heart was still beating fast from the excitement of the whole thing, although maybe "excitement" wasn't the right word to describe those events.

"A little tired," Davis admitted. "But I feel a lot better than before. What happened? Where's Ken? I thought he'd be the first to come see me."

T.K. stiffened, his knuckles turning white once more. This wasn't right. He knew Davis had a right to know. He looked down at DemiVeemon, who seemed to get the message and jumped onto Davis's bed.

"I was so worried about you Davis!" DemiVeemon exclaimed, sounding relieved that his partner was alright. Said boy diverted his eyes from T.K. to his partner, picking him up and holding him close.

"I'm okay now," Davis assured his best Digimon friend. "But what happened to…?" He was worried. It seemed T.K. had avoided his question about Ken on purpose, which made him nervous. Plus, T.K.'s posture seemed tense and uneasy, which caused his heart to race ten times faster, because it wasn't like the blond to lose composure like that, considering it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"D-Davis… I'm sorry." T.K. lowered his head, ashamed, voice cracking as guilt surfaced. "I tried to stop him, I really did, but Daemon had a Dark Digivice so none of us could digivolve... I'm not sure if Daemon knew about Armour Digivolution or not, but even if he did, Daemon's a Mega Level... Daemon convinced Ken that we'd be safe if he surrendered and then he inserted some sort of needle into Ken, taking him away…" His words came out in a tumbling flood. Without realising it, he had begun to shake from the recollection.

He hated recalling such a moment. It felt as if his legs were there but he couldn't move. His body was frozen like a statue and his eyes seemed to be glued to the scene but he could only watch as the events unfolded in front of him.

The blond lifted his eyes a little, taking a peek to look at Davis's resultant reaction. He noticed that his expression had changed from confused to pure horror. He had expected some form of response, though, like talk or do something. But instead, the redhead's reply was only a simple, deadpanned, "No."

T.K. wasn't sure how to react to this except for apologizing. He wasn't sure whether he should be relieved or not. He felt that he should blame him. But what he originally thought was only the start of an emotional breakdown.

"No. No! NO! Dammit, no!" Davis was shaking, burying his face in his hands. This couldn't be happening. This was just some bad dream and he was going to wake up in any minute. He pulled his hair roughly in frustration. How could this happen? The only thoughts going through his mind were that he failed. He had promised to protect Ken from everything. The day was still clear in his mind when he had made that promise.

_They were seated in Ken's bedroom. Ken had invited Davis over to his house for a sleepover. He would have invited the others too, but for now, he was contented to just spend the night with his best friend._

_"Ken?" Davis asked, causing the indigo-haired boy to look at him. "Why didn't you invite Kari and the others?"_

_Ken smiled a little at the question. "I wanted the two of us to spend some time together," he admitted. "I mean, since we attended different schools, I feel that we haven't hung out as much as we used to. I guess I kind of missed you."_

_Davis felt his face heat up slightly. He always knew Ken had quite a high opinion of him but to say that so openly was a bit embarrassing. Usually, if it were Kari or T.K.—or heck, even Yolei—who complimented him, he would have boasted, but hearing it from his best friend made him feel slightly flustered. _

_He reached over and touched Ken's shoulder, peering into his eyes. "Even if we don't see each other every day, you know I'm always here for you." _

_Ken laughed a little at that."Don't I know it? You were always protecting me and saving me from everything." _

_It was true. Davis had been the one to come to his aid when Digimon were attacking Tamachi, as well as the one to rescue him from Oikawa. He had also tried the hardest to protect him from Daemon._

_Davis seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He hadn't known what it was about Ken but somehow he felt as if he understood him in ways that the others didn't. Maybe it was because they were DNA digivolution partners and understood each other's hearts. But he never felt that T.K., Cody, Yolei or even Kari were that close. Sure, they had become a lot closer but he still felt that they weren't as close as he and Ken were. Gosh, this was too much thinking! _

_Pushing those thoughts aside, Davis entwined his hands with Ken's. "And I always will, Ken," he assured. "I promise. I'll always protect you from any danger that comes our way." He squeezed the other's hand before pulling away._

Davis reached for the goggles on his head and, with shaky hands, took them off. He stared at it for a moment as erratic thoughts swirled in his mind. For the first time, he didn't feel worthy of the goggles, so he flung it to his bedside table, making T.K. jumped a little at the sudden reaction. He was meant to be the Bearer of Courage but who knew what condition Ken was in now? T.K. moved forward and grasped him by the shoulders, trying to calm him down.

"T.K. …we have to save him," Davis croaked out, grabbing the other boy's arm. "I… I don't blame you. I'm not worthy to lead you guys. I broke my promise T.K., I promised him… I promised him I'd always protect him but I failed. I couldn't do anything. All I did was become a burden for him… and he had no choice but to give himself up to protect you guys…"

"That isn't true Davis!" T.K. argued. "You're the only one all of us will follow to rescue Ken. I may have a lot of respect for Tai but you're our leader. I know things are tough now but you can't give up hope. Ken wouldn't want you to. Have the courage to fight for your best friend, Davis." He took a deep breath to calm himself. In all honesty, seeing Davis like this was truly worrying. He wasn't the type to give up regardless of the situation. Even when the odds were against him, he would stand up and face things fearlessly.

Davis could tell T.K. was scared too but wasn't willing to give up hope. He was about to say something when DemiVeemon spoke, "Davis, you're the only one who can save Ken. I know you're scared and I won't lie: I am too. But we can do this together. If Daemon really doesn't know about Armour Digivolution, then that's really good right? I mean, we could use that against him somehow!"

"It's not much but we have something to go off at least," T.K. pointed out. "Isn't that better than nothing? I'm sure Izzy will figure out the rest and we'll have Ken back to us in no time." He was trying to assure himself as well as Davis. Besides, if he reminded himself enough times, maybe it would actually stick inside his brain and he would stop doubting himself so much.

Davis managed a small smile at that and it made hope soar inside his chest. They might be able to use Armour Digivolutions as an element of surprise and while the surprise was still set, he could get Ken to safety. Maybe Ken would know how to disable the Dark Digivice too since he had been able to control it as the Digimon Emperor. Even though this was only a small chance, maybe, just maybe, things would work out.

_Hang in there, Ken,_ Davis thought, a new spark of determination lighting his heart. _Keep the hope inside you alive; I won't break my promise and I'll get you back to me no matter what happens. _

If T.K. could keep his hopes high to get Kari back from the Dark Ocean when she was called there, then he could do the same for Ken.

"You're right, T.K.," Davis agreed, looking up at his blond friend and held his arm. "Thanks. I think we both needed a little hope to keep us going right now. Now, keep that hope alive inside you too. I think we can do this. We just can't make any more mistakes or take Daemon lightly."

T.K. nodded in affirmation, although a part of him wondered if there was really a way to defeat Daemon. More than anything, though, his heart surged with happiness, seeing Davis back to his usual self, and it was that that made him had hope that they could actually do this. Maybe Imperialdramon Paladin Mode might stand a chance once Gabumon recovered fully but even that wasn't certain. Still, it could work. Considering the last time when they faced Daemon, they didn't even have Paladin Mode, only Fighter Mode.

They couldn't afford to lose anyone anymore.

The Digital World was depending on it.

* * *

Minomon sat on his own, away from everyone. He didn't want others to come and comfort him, and say things like, Ken will be okay. He knew those were only words of kindness, spoken out of sympathy. Nothing would be able to lift his spirits except for Ken being physically here with him, well and alive.

His thoughts drifted to Ken, wondering if his partner was alright. What would he do if Daemon used the Dark Spore to turn Ken back into the Digimon Emperor? He didn't want to lose his best friend again. He couldn't believe he wasn't able to do anything. Maybe if he had been able to Armour Digivolve like the others, he could have done something, something like saving Ken or even protecting Davis from getting hurt.

Why can't I be strong like the others? Minomon mused, despair ripping through his very soul. He didn't even know if he was ever going to see Ken again, ever going to be able to tell him how much he meant to him. He couldn't just sit around here; he had to try and get out to find Ken on his own. He only managed to move a little before Patamon stopped him. The little green Digimon turned to see the other Digimon surrounding him too.

"Where are you going, Minomon?" Patamon asked. His voice sounded polite and concerned, and his eyes were filled with sympathy. It almost looked like he understood exactly how he was feeling about the situation, as if he had been in this very place once before.

"I can't stay here anymore while my partner is in danger!" Minomon insisted, his eyes brimmed with tears that were threatening to spill. "I may not be as strong as the rest of you but I have to help Ken-chan! The longer we take, the higher the chance of us not seeing him alive anymore! Or at least, not the Ken-chan we know! We don't know what Daemon will do to him and he could… he could even turn him into the Digimon Emperor again!"

Patamon and Salamon exchanged glances, as did Poromon and Upamon. Together, all four Digimon embraced Minomon, almost squashing the tiny Digimon.

"Ken will never become the Digimon Emperor again, spore or no spore." Patamon had said so confidently that Minomon almost believed him simply because of the confidence his voice held. "If he even edges towards that, the rest of us, especially you and Davis, will pull him out before the darkness can even touch him." He could really understand how Minomon felt. When Devimon had targeted T.K. before he had been able to digivolve, he felt useless that he couldn't do anything to protect his partner, even if it had been a small amount of time.

"Patamon's right," Salamon agreed. "I know it's hard for you to wait right now. I'd be the same if it was Kari but knowing Davis and DemiVeemon, they'll probably want to head out as soon as they can too." Her mind drifted to Wizardmon, who had risked his life to save her in order to protect her and Kari from being separated. Now, they had to make sure that Ken and Minomon didn't lose each other either.

"We're with you, Minomon!" Upamon piped up, trying to cheer him up. "We'll get Ken back together!"

"Yolei's really upset about Ken too," Poromon chimed in as well. "Don't worry, everything will be okay!"

"Everyone…" Minomon sniffled, going all teary-eyed and burying himself into their embrace. "Thank you." He didn't know what else to say, but seeing everyone's confidence and reassurance did make him feel better. His eyes shone with newfound determination.

_Hang in there Ken-chan!_ Minomon thought. _I'll make Daemon pay for separating us! No,we'll make Daemon pay!_


	6. Two Hearts As One

**Thanks for the support, everyone! I hope the previous chapter was a bit relaxing cause this one is anything but relaxing unfortunately. But things will get better don't worry! My betareader was a bit busy so this chapter isn't edited out. To my reviewers, any tips on writing torture scenes? It's so hard! Thank you so much to NeoMiniTails for helping me out a lot with the torture scene.**

**Chapter 6**

Even as he opened his eyes, he could see only darkness. Looking around, he blinked, dreary from the attack on him earlier. He could remember going unconscious, the world around him had went black. At the time, he wondered if possibly he had died and even now, he wasn't too sure if he was alive or stuck in some purgatory state of mind.

He could feel his wrist tied even through the numbness that had overcome his body but even so, he struggled to untie himself, his mind in a fog but clear enough to remember that he had to get out of that place, this place so full of darkness. Managing to stand up, Ken could feel his legs giving in under him, his balance still not under control and found himself nearly toppling over.

He needed to think. Ken needed to get out of here before that thing came back. The blue-haired boy needed to get back to Wormmon and Davis. Holding his breath, he tried to keep Daemon from hearing him for he knew not of what he would do to him now that he was awake. He couldn't deal with the ideas that were possibly going through that monster's head.

What would Davis do in this situation? How would he find a way out of this?

Before he could come up with a good solution, the numb feeling in his body left and his mind began to try to concentrate on making plans but failing as his body seemed to beg for the pain to stop. A blast of energy suddenly came forth, knocking the young man off his feet and back a few feet, nearly knocking the breath out of him.

Ken became queasy as he tried to stand back up, not wanting to let Daemon have the last laugh, an action that he wished that he didn't do.

The indigo-haired boy had never viewed himself as a weak young man, and it was one of the few things that he took pride in even if in this moment, it made no sense for him to think about that. However, he thought to himself, for just one moment about having seen Davis being attack and for whatever reason, he thought that maybe, just maybe, he could allow Daemon to do whatever he wants! Strike him, beat him to a bloody pulp and he hoped that all those years of being in soccer, gaining stamina, it would do him well. He hoped that he could deal with his hits long enough as a distraction to him to allow Davis and the team enough time to recuperate.

Daemon walked over to him, his cruel aura stiffening Ken's entire body and soul, and as much as Ken wanted to be brave, he was afraid of what would happen next.

"Wormmon… Davis…" Ken muttered as he raised his arms in a defensive position to try to block whatever that was going to come his way. Even at that moment, he knew it would be useless but a part of him, the boy whom wanted to survive, the boy whom wanted to see his best friends again, wanted to protect his friends as long as possible because he knew they'd do the same for him. Then again, there was another part of him that had also muttered aloud because he wanted them to hear him and save him.

They were both hurt, he thought, a memory flashing of when Davis had been hit, an attack that if he had taken the full blunt of the attack would've killed him. Wormmon, the digimon whom was loyal and kind, willing to fight by his side even with all the things he'd done, was hurt, trying to protect him. For now, he hoped they were smarter than to try to save him.

On impulse, Ken cried out upon Daemon grabbing him by his shoulder roughly. It felt like he was trying to crush his shoulder blade then impale him with those claws, but the young man squirmed and tried to escape, hoping that he was wrong about his motives.

An ear-piercing shout came forth, his entire body shaking, it felt as if an earthquake had erupted in his body and he almost wished that the numbness had come back as he felt the claws pierce through his skin before throwing him onto the rocky walls.

"You, boy, you have tormented me long enough." His deep, cold, and menacing voice hissed through the air, his tone taking away any and all of Ken's courage. He gritted his teeth in irritation as he lifted Ken up by his hair, sliding the back of his head against the rocky wall, cutting the back of his head, his red eyes smiling as the boy's blood seeped out slowly onto the wall.

"Locking me up in the dark ocean, I did not appreciate that very much and here I was thinking that you and I understood one another." He chuckled lightly as he lifted the boy and put his ear by his mouth and whispered, "Time to pay the price…"

Taking a small fireball, he threw it into the chest of Ken as the boy was thrown back from the attack into the wall, cracking from the impact as the digital monster suddenly created a hot iron pole within his hands and before the boy could even react, he struck his arm.

Ken couldn't hear his bones crack but the attack hit so hard, it felt like the heat and speed melted through and he could feel blood come up from his throat. There was no way he'd survive long enough for them to see each other again!

He opened his mouth to scream but blood kept anything from coming out as tears began to uncontrollably come out. Why'd he have to cry now?! Why? Why couldn't he have been stronger? The tears kept coming out as he thought about his brother and his family, memories that neither made sense for the moment and he could suddenly see himself seeing his brother again. It was an idea that he once welcomed, but now! Not when everything finally seemed right, he couldn't die! He could suddenly see Davis and TK arguing about some petty argument and Yolei joining in just because she felt like it. He wanted to see them all again, he didn't want it all to end!

He wanted to live but with each passing hit, the young male felt his strength leaving him, blood covering over his entire body and a fear that he never wanted to have.

He was afraid that he would never get to say the things that he always kept inside.

Right now, even if for only a moment, he wanted Wormmon there so that he could say sorry and how much he loved his little friend. If only for a moment, he wanted to see Davis and everyone else and tell them to stay strong and that the battle may seem like a losing one, but to take courage.

If only for a moment, he wanted to see Davis and say he was sorry for not being able to keep their promise that they'd always be there for each other.

_'Wormmon… Davis… please get me out of here.'_ Ken thought to himself as he passed out.

* * *

Meanwhile, Davis and the younger team (including Willis) had gathered around Davis's house as soon as he was back home and well enough to walk, upon their leader's insistence they had gathered around his house.

"How are we going to get Ken back?" Yolei asked worriedly. "I mean we couldn't beat Daemon last time and it's pointless to send him back to the Dark Ocean since he can clearly get out from there as well."

"I'm confused." Willis admitted. "What's the Dark Ocean and why does Daemon want your friend anyway?"

"It's kind of a long story." Davis said to Willis. "All I know is we have to get Ken back. Maybe I can use the Crest of Miracles somehow." He pondered this for a moment. Gabumon was injured so using Paladin Mode might not work out too well and Magnamon may be able to stand more of a chance against Daemon than ExVeemon, Flamedramon or Raidramon would but even that wasn't certain.

Before he could think any longer, his bedside table shook slightly causing a picture frame to fall on the table, cracking the frame. Davis frowned, picking it up and a feeling of dread filled inside his chest. It was a picture of him and Ken, just hanging out only the picture of Ken had become cracked due to falling. The cracked picture of his best friend gave him a feeling of fear. It was almost like a sign. He clenched his fist.

"We need to stop standing around and get moving." Davis said suddenly getting to his feet causing Veemon to frown.

"Davis, we need a plan." Veemon reminded his partner. "I'm all for hurrying up but what are we gonna do once we get there?"

"You guys, something's happened." Davis said frowning, trying to keep the panic from rising up into his chest. "It's like Ken's calling for my help or something, I can feel it."

"You mean he's calling for _our _help right?" Yolei clarified, sounding a little miffed that Davis was taking it all on himself and that Ken would only cry out for his aid and not all of them.

Hawkmon couldn't help but sweatdrop. Being the digimon of love and sincerity, he had realised Ken didn't harbour romantic feelings for Yolei but was unsure of how to break the news gently to her. After all, his partner could overreact at times and the last thing Ken needed was any romantic drama in his life.

"This isn't the time, Yolei!" Davis snapped, annoyed that she would worry over something so trivial like that at a time like this.

"Calm down Davis!" Willis cried, grabbing his friend by the shoulders. He had been a bit envious of Davis and Ken's friendship at first but Terriermon and Lopmon had given him an earful last night about being a supportive friend. Of course, he was too stubborn to apologise to T.K. just yet but he wanted to be there for Davis considering he had been there for him at time where he really needed a friend. "I know you're worried but you need to be rational about this. Do you even know what you're going to do?"

"I think Magnamon may be able to stand a chance against Daemon." Davis said to Willis and the others. "Besides, if T.K.'s theory is right and Daemon doesn't know about Armour digivolution then we have the element of surprise as an advantage right?"

"But I thought you could only use the Digiegg of Miracles in case of emergencies." Gatomon pointed out, frowning thoughtfully as she thought back to the two times that Davis had used the Digiegg to digivolve Veemon.

"This counts as one." Davis replied immediately. "Besides, we can meet up with Izzy in 15 minutes and ask him on the way if it'll work."

"Rushing in isn't a smart way to do things." Kari said worriedly. "There are so many things that could go wrong."

"I'd normally agree with you Kari but we don't have many options." T.K. said grimly. "Daemon's blocked normal digivolution and until we find a way to destroy the Dark Digivice we can't DNA digivolve. I think Magnamon might be our only option right now." He knew he was meant to have hope but he was also a realist and the realistic approach right now was to use what they had. Winning with Armour digivolutions seemed almost impossible but it may be the only chance to rescue Ken.

Kari frowned at that, realising T.K. was right. They didn't have a lot of options although she really didn't like the idea of that so far it was the only choice they had. The brunette closed her eyes, hoping they wouldn't lose anyone else in this.

Willis frowned a little. The plan sounded risky. He glanced at Terriermon and Lopmon.

"Are you sure you two are up for this?" Willis asked his partners and the other two nodded.

"Of course Willis!" Terriermon said reassuringly. "We'll be fine."

"We're in this together, remember that." Lopmon reminded Willis, sounding quieter than his brother but firm all the same.

Willis smiled at that. He was still a little uncertain but he wanted to be able to help out. He had already been way out of line before and didn't want to repeat those mistakes. A part of him was grateful for T.K. apparently having not told Davis his words about Ken considering the gogglehead was still acting pretty friendly towards him.

Yolei contacted Izzy on her D-3, telling him they should meet up at Davis's house to head to the digital world. She hoped the older DigiDestined would get here soon, she really wanted them to go save Ken hoping her friend was alright.

Cody felt nervous. Rushing in like this sounded reckless but he also knew they had to take immediate action. There was no telling what Daemon was doing to Ken.

"Alright, Izzy and the others should be here soon." Yolei informed the others. "He said the others are with him so they'll be right over."

"This is risky." Gatomon told Veemon logically and the blue dragon digimon shrugged.

"We don't have a choice." Veemon said firmly. "Besides, I know we can defeat Daemon. We're strong when we work together and I just have a feeling we'll get through this."

Gatomon smiled a little. Somehow, even in the darkest of situations, Veemon managed to keep a ray of light alive in his heart. In a way, it reminded her of Wizardmon who kept on working hard to set her free even when she had stopped believing.

"I hope so." Gatomon said softly.

* * *

While the younger team had decided to gather together and talk things out, Tai had gathered the older team together for something similar. Michael had come along as well due to being Mimi's close friend and she had insisted he join them.

"So what did you want to discuss with the others, Tai?" Agumon asked his partner looking up at him.

"I wanted to discuss what we can do." Tai explained to the others. "I mean, Daemon's blocking normal Digivolution with his Dark Digivice which kind of makes the rest of us useless. Only Davis's team can Armour Digivolve and I don't think that'll be enough to defeat these enemies."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Izzy spoke up. "I mean, let's not forget Magnamon managed to defeat Chimeramon and he was no easy feat. Sure, that included Wormmon's energy but I think if the Crest of Kindness can activate the Crest of Miracles, Magnamon can come into existence once more."

"I really hope that works." Sora said, a frown on her features. "The younger team don't have many options right now. Can they really handle this?" She was extremely worried for the younger team even though she didn't know Ken all that well. She felt Matt's hand grip hers and Tai sent her an encouraging smile.

"They've faced tougher situations." Tai said reassuringly. "MaloMyotismon trapped everyone but Davis in illusions and they managed to escape that through working as a team. I know Davis and the others can handle this too."

"Tai's right, Sora." Matt said in agreement with his best friend. "Besides, tough situations come and go anyway. We've faced worse than this." The blond thought back to when Sora was trapped in the Dark Cave, he had been worried about her so much. He hadn't thought he'd be able to help her out of it despite having experienced something similar himself but he hadn't given up. He just hoped Davis could do the same for Ken.

Sora smiled at her friends' reassurances. Being the natural mother, she worried a lot in situations like this but she knew Tai and Matt had a point. They always followed them in the first adventure after all and it led to a lot of victories back then so why not now?

"We can do it, Sora." Biyomon piped up. "Things may be bad in the digital world right now but we're the only ones who can do something about it. We'll find a way to destroy that dark digivice so we can give it our all." Her thoughts drifted to Hawkmon for a moment. He had encouraged her when she felt like giving up a hope, he was good at giving advice when things were hard to handle.

Gabumon, despite knowing it wasn't his fault felt guilt searing at his heart. If he hadn't been so stupid to get injured, then he and Agumon might have been able to DNA digivolve into Omnimon. With Omnimon's strength, Imperialdramon would have been able to shift into Paladin Mode and have a better chance of defeating Daemon.

"Gabumon, are you alright?" Matt asked, seeing the downcast expression on his partner's face.

Gabumon tried to give a small smile although it came out as more of a grimace.

"I feel like this is all my fault," Gabumon said hanging his head. "I mean, if I hadn't been so hurt, maybe we could have brought out Paladin Mode and stopped either Davis or Ken from getting hurt. It's like I'm the reason for…"

Matt frowned at that.

"That's not true!" Matt protested, a little louder than he intended before quickly lowering his voice. "Gabumon, you were hurt. None of us would have wanted you to exert yourself and get even more hurt. Even Ken and Wormmon wouldn't have wanted you to do something like that. You were protecting your friends Gabumon which was why you got hurt. No one blames you for anything." His voice sounded firm and confident. It was this confidence which encouraged Gabumon more than anything. It was almost like his and Matt's roles were reversed in a way for once where Matt was encouraging him when he felt down about something.

"Thanks Matt," Gabumon said quietly with a small smile. "I think I needed that."

"Yolei's calling us over to Davis's house." Izzy said to the others, catching their attention. "The younger team want us to get moving."

"But is Davis well enough to go to the digital world yet?" Tai asked concerned. "I mean, he was pretty badly hurt from Daemon's attack. It's not right to let him exert himself like this." He knew if it were one of his friends in danger, he wouldn't have stopped at nothing to get them back but since it was Davis it made him worried.

"You know how stubborn Davis is, Tai," Matt reminded his best friend. "Especially since it's Ken. Call it intuition but I think Davis cares more about Ken than he lets on. Now, come on lets go help out the best we can. If anyone can stop Davis from being too reckless, its you after all. And you know you'd do the same for me."

"Matt, don't be so blunt at a time like this," Sora chided her friend. She felt Tai needed reassurance not to be blunt in such a situation where Tai was worried.

"No, I think Matt's right," Tai said to Sora with a small smile. "Besides, sometimes bluntness gets the message across a lot better than being reassuring and beating around the bush. I would do the same for him anyway. Okay let's get going guys."

"What's the point of us going though?" Joe pointed out pessimistically. "I mean, Gomamon and the others can't digivolve due to Daemon's Dark Digivice and…"

Sora cut Joe off before he could continue his list of negative things happening.

"Joe, quit the negative thinking," Sora said frowning. "We'll figure something out besides the younger team needs our support. Let's just do the best we can ok?"

"Sora's right, Joe!" Gomamon piped up. "Besides, remember what I told? Digimon never give up and neither should you!"

Joe sighed, realising Gomamon and Sora was right. He was letting his pessimism get through to him as usual but then again some things never change. He nodded to his friends showing he was in agreement.

The group met up at Davis's house, gathering around the computer.

"Davis, are you sure you're up for this?" Willis asked his friend. "I mean, you're still injured maybe you should rest a bit more…"

"I can't," Davis said firmly. "I felt Ken needing my help. I just know he's in a lot of trouble and I can't leave him there any longer. I can do it on my own if you feel like backing out." He would do whatever it took to get Ken back to them, safe and sound even if he had to take on Daemon single-handedly with Magnamon as his only ally.

"Don't be so stubborn, Davis," T.K. said exasperated only slightly. "You know we're with you all the way."

Davis sent a small smile in T.K.'s direction before turning to the computer, holding up his D-3 towards it.

"DigiPort Open!" Davis cried and the computer sucked them in one by one, along with their Digimon partners. Almost immediately they were surrounded by SkullSatamon and 3 Devidramon.

"Tai, Daemon isn't here so the rest of us can digivolve," Agumon said to his partner. "Let's handle these guys!"

Tai looked at Agumon for a moment before turning to Davis's team.

"Davis, you and the others go on ahead," Tai instructed them. "Ken needs you, we'll distract these guys!"

Davis hesitated for a moment, feeling bad about leaving the older team to handle things on their own but at the same time really wanted to save Ken.

"Its not right leaving you guys like this…" Davis began, for once unsure of which path to take and what would be morally right.

Tai placed his hand on Davis's shoulders, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Davis, we can handle this," Tai promised confidently. "You need to fight for Ken. I can tell how you feel for him. Go on, we'll be fine."

Davis flushed slightly although he wondered what he meant by how he felt for Ken. He was his best friend so of course he cared a lot about him, more than he cared about anyone. But still, what did Tai mean?

"Okay," Davis agreed before adding "But be careful! Veemon! It's time to armour-digivolve! Digiarmour energise!"

"Veemon armour-digivolve to Raidramon: The Storm of Friendship!"

The others (minus Willis) followed suit.

"Patamon armour-digivolve to Pegasusmon: Flying Hope!"

"Gatomon armour-digivolve to Nefertimon: Shining Light!"

"Hawkmon armour-digivolve to Halsemon: The Wings of Love!"

"Armadillamon armour-digivolve to Digmon: The Drill of Power!"

The group headed out with Willis going along with Davis on Raidramon and Cody coming along on Pegasusmon with T.K.

Davis looked onto his D-3, hoping for any sign to get to Ken and there was a signal but it was weak. He guessed Daemon had taken away Ken's D-3 or something. As they got closer to the signal, Davis decided to dedigivolve Raidramon and closed his eyes, focusing.

'I really need a miracle right now' Davis thought desperately. 'Please let Veemon Golden-armour evolve somehow. Ken, I'll save you no matter what, even if my life is forfeit.' The symbol of Miracles glowed inside his chest and the golden egg appeared once more.

"Golden Armour Energise!" Davis cried.

"Veemon armourdigivolve to Magnamon!" Magnamon appeared in front of them. Davis smiled, albeit swayed slightly causing T.K. and Willis to catch him.

"Are you alright?" T.K. asked his friend concerned and Davis managed to nod.

"I'll be fine." Davis said firmly. "Come on, let's find Ken!" He allowed Magnamon to lift him in his arms.

T.K. felt concerned but knew Davis wouldn't agree to staying back at any cost. There was no second option.


	7. What I've Done

**Sorry for the delay everyone! I was a bit busy and my betareader's a little too busy to help out as well so here's the next chapter. Are ya all still with me? Also, to my readers, is anyone of you good at show, don't tell? I'm getting better but I'd love some pointers. Oh, for those of you who want to see more guilt from Davis, wait till the next chapter with his talk with Tai & Matt. I do not own Digimon, I wish I did though.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Even in the safety of Magnamon's arms, Davis felt his nervousness for Ken peak. The signal on the D-3 was quite weak and a feeling of dread overcame him.

_Man, I hope I'm not too late, _Davis thought, his heart racing and he gritted his teeth in frustration as Daemon appeared in front of them. They were so close to the building where the weak signal was. It was a small building, with dust falling all around it and looked almost haunted.

"Looking for someone?" Daemon taunted, his tone jeering as he looked down upon the DigiDestined. "I'm afraid I can't let you go any further. It is lucky my play-toy passed out so I could come and greet you."

Wormmon glowered at Daemon fiercely. If looks could kill, the Demon Lord would be dead ten times over.

"What have you done to Ken?!" Wormmon cried, fury dripping from his voice and Daemon stared down at Wormmon for a moment.

"You know, I would have thought being the Digimon Emperor would have made him more resilient but he's weaker than I thought." Daemon mused, as if he were discussing the weather and not torturing his opponent.

Davis's fists clenched and he bit back the urge to storm up to Daemon and somehow give him a beating.

"Shut up about my best friend!" Davis yelled, rage clawing it's way up to his chest. They didn't have time for this right now though, they needed Daemon out of the way. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes meeting with Willis and T.K. for a moment.

"Willis, can you use the Golden DigiEgg?" Davis asked his friend and Willis frowned.

"I'll need T.K. and Kari's help though," Willis said softly looking at the bearers of Hope and Light. "Think you two are up for giving me a boost?" He looked at them, remembering that the powers of Hope and Light were needed in order to bring out Rapidmon. The DigiDestined of Hope and Light nodded, intertwining their hands, their DigiEggs glowing brightly.

The light extended to surround around Willis as a golden egg materialised before absorbing itself into his D-3. The light surrounding him had warmth radiating from it, a protective feeling as well as a strength. It erased his previous doubts circling his mind and he gripped his D-3.

"Golden Armour energise!" Willis cried and the light revolved itself around Terriermon.

"Terriermon golden-armour digivolve to...Rapidmon!"

"Davis, you, Magnamon and Wormmon go find your friend!" Willis cried, flashing a small smile at his dear friend. "We'll hold off Daemon! Lopmon, can you...?" He didn't want to show it, but being honest he didn't want Lopmon being involved in the fight. He had lost his dear partner once and could not bear this again. His heart clenched at the thought as if someone had a dug a sharp object through it.

Lopmon tilted his head to the side, his eyes meeting with his partners and he frowned. He could tell Willis was afraid of letting him fight for fear of losing him again and while a part of him understood, he wished he could assure his partner that he wasn't going anywhere. However, he nodded and moved next to Wormmon.

"I'll go with them, Willis," Lopmon promised with a small smile. "Be careful. Both of you."

Davis clenched his fists. He felt like he was being selfish, leaving everyone else to deal with their enemies because he wanted to save Ken but at the same time, he couldn't help but go with it. What was wrong with him? He had always put the others' wants before his own but somehow saving Ken in his mind took priority over everything else. He glanced over at T.K., Kari, Yolei and Cody.

"You should all have your digimon armour evolve too," Davis said to his teammates. "Please. I have to go find Ken and..." He felt his heart clench. He knew he was risking a lot of lives for his selfishness and hung his head. T.K. walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Go," T.K. said firmly causing Davis to stare at him for a moment. "You're the only who can save him, Davis and I know you want to save him no matter what. Hurry, we'll hold up. Be careful though? There could be more guards inside."

"Come back safely!" Kari called out, concern lacing through her tone as she looked at her friend.

"Bring Ken back to me ok?!" Yolei cried hysterically, not bothering to hide her panic. "That guy could have killed him! And be careful!"

"Davis, we're with you in spirit!" Cody said encouragingly. "Don't give up ok? We'll do our best to hold up here!"

Davis felt his heart lightening hearing his friends and he smiled at them. He nodded towards them.

"Thanks, you guys!" Davis replied, clenching his fist in determination. "I'll bring Ken back for sure!"

Magnamon lifted him in the air and Wormmon climbed onto his shoulder. Davis held Lopmon as the others held up Daemon. Daemon turned ready to aim an attack at them albeit Pegasusmon and Nefertimon came in the way.

"Golden Noose!" They wrapped their combined attack around Daemon while Rapidmon and Shurimon sent their own attacks.

* * *

Magnamon entered the building, holding Davis tighter to him wanting to protect him from whatever came next although he knew how impulsive his partner could be. It seemed they were wandering around for awhile when they finally reached a cage.

Davis's eyes widened as he saw Ken's unconscious form on the floor. He had burns all over his arms and was bleeding at the back of his head and neck.

"Magna Blast!" Magnamon shot missiles from his shoulder, hitting the cage's lock and bursting it into flames.

"Ken-chan!" Wormmon cried rushing over as did Davis. Davis pulled Ken into his arms, feeling fury at Daemon surge through him as well as his own guilt. He had spent too much time resting, he should have come to Ken's rescue a lot sooner. He forced his rage down in order to focus on his best friend. He took off his red and blue jacket, placing it underneath Ken's head to stem the blood flow. His heart clenched and he felt a lone tear roll down his cheek which he forcefully wiped away before it could fall.

He had failed, his head hung as memories surged through his mind of his first adventure. He had managed to reach Ken to help in Tamachi, then save him from Oikawa and protect Daemon from getting him once but he had failed in the end. His promises, his vows they had all shattered to pieces before his very eyes seeing Ken's broken body like this. What could he do? He needed to get Ken out of here but Daemon was still out there and...

"Will Ken be okay, Davis?" Wormmon's voice snapped Davis out of his gloomy thoughts and the gogglehead blinked, momentarily taken aback. It made him focus a little more though.

"Yeah, though we need to get out of here." Davis replied, holding Ken tighter as he swayed himself, not being fully recovered. Magnamon moved to catch him, making sure he didn't topple over. He decide to wrap his metallic arms around Davis tightly and did the same for Ken.

"Hang in there Ken-chan..." Wormmon murmured, his large blue eyes lit with concern as he and Lopmon followed after Davis and Magnamon.

A crash suddenly sounded outside and Magnamon shielded Davis and the others as the entrance blew up on them, throwing a weakened Patamon, Terriermon, Gatomon, Hawkmon and Armadillamon crashing to the ground.

Davis's rage immensely grew as he saw how Daemon had tossed aside the digimon as Lopmon rushed up to Terriermon.

"Otouto, are you ok?" Lopmon asked concerned and Terriermon managed to nod.

"Of course he isn't!" Davis snapped, his voice sounding harsher than anyone had heard him. His frame was enshrouded by a dark aura, and his eyes flashed red. "No one deserves to be treated like that." He glowered at Daemon who simply stared down at him as if he were an insolent child. "You'll pay, Daemon." The dark aura grew stronger as he spoke. "For every hit you gave Ken, for all the torture you dealt him, you'll have to pay the price for each and everyone. MAGNAMON! RIP HIM TO PIECES!"

Magnamon's golden armour began to change and from gold and blue, it became grey and black. His eyes also changed to a darker shade of red, blood-red as one would call it. He let out a roar of rage and in one quick move, grabbed Daemon.

"Davis, snap out of it!" T.K. cried, his eyes wide with disbelief. His heart thud wildly in his chest as he was vividly remembering when Tai forced Agumon to become SkullGreymon.

Willis cringed, knowing this wasn't the normal evolution but waited until Davis released Ken to T.K. and Cody. Once he did, Willis stormed over and grabbed Davis by the collar.

"How could you do this to your own partner?" Willis said, infuriated. "Don't use him like this!"

Davis didn't know why but Willis's words only fuelled the rage inside him. The only thing that mattered now was getting retribution for all the suffering Ken had gone through. Without warning, he punched Willis hard causing the other to let go of his collar and go flying back to the ground.

"Willis!" Both Terriermon and Lopmon cried, rushing over to their partner.

"Are you alright?" Terriermon asked, concern lacing through his voice.

"You could have gotten hurt, Willis," Lopmon chided his partner. "Don't be so impulsive!"

"I have to stop him!" Willis insisted stubbornly. "He's using his partner to cool his anger! If he doesn't snap out of it, he's not worthy of the DigiEgg of Friendship!"

Terriermon frowned. He knew how stubborn Willis could be and exchanged a look with his twin brother, who looked quite concerned. Neither of them knew what action to take.

"Magna Blaster!" Magnamon sent a powerful blast in Daemon's direction causing the Demon Lord to cringe as it made him fall to his knees. Without waiting for him to get back to his feet, Magnamon launched another attack at him. "Magna Kick!" Sending attack after attack was fuelled by Davis's rage that had instilled itself inside him.

T.K. bit his lower lip. What could he do? He wasn't as close to Davis as Ken and Willis were. He turned to Kari.

"Talk to him!" T.K. pleaded with her.

Kari's eyes met T.K.'s, probing them as tears ran down her own cheeks. The brunette wanted to talk to Davis, he did have a crush on her once and she knew he still held a soft corner for her. But how could she get through to him? She gasped as Gatomon ran forward, glowering at Davis.

"You're so selfish!" Gatomon snapped heatedly, fury and disappointment rising within her voice, her voice becoming louder as she spoke. "I get you're angry at Daemon, better than anyone! But using your own partner for something like this? You're disgusting! Don't you think I wanted revenge on Myotismon? With Kari by my side, I could have easily used the power I gain from the Crest of Light to extract my revenge!"

"Ken didn't deserve to be tortured, Gatomon!" Davis snapped heatedly in response although her words had some effect on him. "Daemon put him through hell, let's see how he feels being beaten like that!"

"Wizardmon and I didn't deserve it either!" Gatomon cried, gritting her teeth. "You're wrong for using Veemon like this! I can't believe someone like you got the DigiEgg of Friendship! Matt would be disappointed in you!"

Davis wanted to calm down but seeing Ken like this made him infuriated. He had already suffered so much in the past. He had atoned for his sins, he didn't deserve to suffer anymore. If Daemon lived, then Ken would continue to suffer under his hands.

As Magnamon threw Daemon against the wall once more, Wormmon cried out.

"Ken-chan wouldn't want this, Davis!" Wormmon cried to his partner's best friend. "Please stop!"

Davis's eyes softened slightly as he turned to regard Wormmon.

"But...he tortured Ken, Wormmon," Davis said slowly. "Aren't you upset about that?"

"Of course I am!" Wormmon answered truthfully. "But you're the Bearer of the DigiEgg of Friendship. That same friendship and courage that's always given my Ken-chan strength. Ken-chan is strong. But he's strong because he has you and his friends. He wouldn't want you to lose yourself to the darkness!"

Davis hung his head, sadness replacing his rage.

"I don't want Ken to suffer anymore," Davis admitted. "If Daemon lives then...he'll keep suffering. I want to end his pain, even if it means..." He was cut off by a slap hitting his face, the sound echoing for miles he seemed. Stunned, Davis looked up to see Kari.

"I can't believe yourself and Veemon so little!" Kari cried, teary-eyed. "You're stronger than this, Davis! Look at Veemon! He doesn't want to do this!"

Davis put a hand to his cheek before turning to Magnamon and his countenance shifted to horror. What was he doing? How could he do something like this to his Best Digital Friend? Guilt settled in and this was stronger than any emotion he had previously felt, allowing the dark aura to disappear.

Magnamon dedigivolved to an exhausted DemiVeemon while Daemon disappeared from the sight.

"DemiVeemon!" Davis cried, running over and pulling his partner into his arms. A few tears rolled down and the gogglehead made no attempt to wipe them away. "I'm so sorry..."

"You think that's good enough?" Gatomon said coldly. "You basically treated your partner like nothing but a servant!"

"Gatomon..." Patamon said, attempting to calm her albeit she pushed his paw away. Cody was also glaring at Davis, clearly not ready to forgive him but for once, didn't say anything.

"Don't talk to him like that, Gatomon," DemiVeemon piped up loyally. "He was angry, he didn't mean to hurt me." Before he could say anything more, however, he lost consciousness.

* * *

Davis held DemiVeemon close to him as they headed back to the others who had also finished dealing with the enemies.

Tai's eyes brightened when he saw the younger DigiDestined had Ken back albeit his face fell at the look on everyone's faces.

"What happened?" Tai asked them, frowning. "You guys look like you came back from a funeral, rather than a victory."

"Tai, Matt," Davis's voice snapped both the former leader and second-in-command's attention to him. He walked over to them, dropping his D-3 in Tai's hand. "I'm sorry, I wasn't a very good successor." With that, he ran off towards the portal, not wanting to be asked any questions.

Tai was taken aback by this and opened his mouth to ask but Davis had run off. He turned to Kari.

"What happened?" Tai asked his little sister.

Kari felt tears fill her eyes and she shook her head, before heading in the same direction Davis had. Gatomon frowned and was tempted to tell Tai everything but a look from T.K. made her think otherwise.

"You guys should talk to Davis," T.K. told Tai and Matt. "I think now more than ever, he needs some guidance."

"What happened?" Matt asked his younger brother albeit he shook his head.

"I think it's better if Davis tells you." T.K. said honestly.

Tai and Matt exchanged a glance, both obviously alarmed and worried at what had happened to make Davis so upset, considering the strong will he had. Matt wasn't even as close to Davis despite being his predecessor for the Crest of Friendship, but if Davis needed guidance he was more than willing to talk to him and he knew Tai would be too.

"Let's go," Matt said to Tai who nodded. "The sooner we talk to him the better."


	8. Misunderstandings and Healing

**Thank you for all the reviews, everyone! You have no idea how much each and every review means to me. Please keep on giving your feedback on both my fanfics as it makes me so happy. I have a sad face on when I don't get reviews so keep the smiley faces on and keep reviewing!**

**Chapter 8**

Matt had various thoughts running through his head as he and Tai headed towards Davis Motomiya's house. While Davis was definitely one of his friends, he wasn't as close to him as Tai was however it worried him seeing the usually cheerful gogglehead so upset like that. He wished T.K. had told them what happened so he'd know what to say in order to help the younger boy. Somehow, Tai seemed to sense what he was thinking and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Matt?" Tai said softly. "Don't think into it too much. Davis may have never asked us for guidance before but I think something big happened. I don't know what but Davis doesn't lose confidence easily so we should do our best to get him back on track." His eyes met with his best friend's and Matt smiled a little, nodding. He knew he was making himself nervous by worrying about it and Tai was right. Instead of coming up with different solutions on his own, he should wait for Davis to explain and open up to what had gotten him so upset in the first place. The two of them headed towards Davis's apartment. Tai knocked on the door which was soon opened by none other than Davis's sister, June Motomiya.

"Matt?!" June squealed happily, ecstatic to see her crush at her doorstep. "You came to see me?!" Her eyes were shining and Tai had to bite back a laugh as Matt flushed.

"H-hi J-June..." Matt said nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

Normally, Tai would have found it amusing to see his friend becoming so flustered but right now, he was more worried about Davis.

"June, no offence and not to interrupt, but we came to see Davis," Tai said slowly looking at her. "Besides, Matt's taken anyway."

Perhaps it was the way Tai had phrased it, even though he meant Matt was taken by Sora that June blinked and gaped at him for a moment.

Matt sent Tai a grateful look and a part of him wished he had brought Sora along as well but knew he couldn't have. His girlfriend may know how to handle June but Davis might not tell them anything if Sora was around so it would have caused more harm than good.

"What?" Tai asked, snapping Matt out of his thoughts and he noticed that June was looking at them with an odd look in her eyes.

"I never knew..." June whispered and suddenly tears filled her eyes. "I never knew you felt that way for Matt, Tai." She hung her head, a few tears prickling down her cheeks. "Davis is in his room, I'm sorry for getting in your way. I hope you and Matt will be happy together." Inside, she felt like her heart was cracking into various pieces but she managed to hide it fairly well and ran into the house.

"Wha...?" Tai turned a deep red colour and Matt turned red as well. The two of them glanced at each other, causing Tai to hang his head. How had he managed to get June to assume something like that? He scratched his head and glanced over at Matt. "I didn't mean it like..." He blushed further. Why was he even blushing?

Matt couldn't believe Tai had run his mouth again and tilted his head to the side as Tai spoke, noticing him still blushing. He did look kind of cute blushing like that...wait, what was he thinking? He was with Sora for heaven's sake! He pushed these thoughts out of his mind and smiled at Tai.

"It's alright," Matt said honestly. "At least it'll help June move on. Anyway, let's go talk to Davis."

Tai nodded a little too quickly and headed inside, Matt following him.

Davis lay on his bed, his head buried in his pillow. DemiVeemon was sleeping, exhausted from the fight. Everytime he looked over at his partner, the guilt increased itself ten-fold. A tear dropped, then another, it felt like someone was crushing his heart with their very own fist. He didn't know how to face anyone, a part of him felt maybe he should give DemiVeemon to Ken or T.K. after what he had caused.

'I don't deserve him' Davis thought miserably. Before he could ponder more, he heard a knock on his door.

"Davis, it's Tai, can we come in?" Tai's voice echoed through the room and Davis winced. He thought for a moment. He needed to talk to someone and he couldn't talk to his parents or June about something like this and the others were probably much too angry at him to listen.

"Sure, come on in!" Davis called out, sitting up on his bed as Tai pushed the door open, entering the room with Matt.

His predecessors and guides took a seat in the room before Tai looked at him.

"What happened, Davis?" Tai asked softly. "You seemed pretty upset."

As Tai said that, Davis felt the guilt make itself know once more. He wrapped his arms around himself and looked over to DemiVeemon before hanging his head.

"I've done something terrible," Davis whispered. "I used Veemon to heal my personal pain and ended up...I hurt him really badly."

Tai and Matt exchanged a glance. Tai was getting a bad feeling about this. His thoughts drifted to SkullGreymon and he inadvertently shuddered. Matt grasped his hand, squeezing it as he guessed what his best friend was thinking of.

"What happened, Davis?" Matt asked looking to the younger boy. "I mean, DemiVeemon seems fine even if he does seem exhausted."

"He's not fine!" Davis protested loudly before lowering his voice as not wanting to disturb his partner from sleeping. "I made him dark-armour digivolve you guys! He...he almost killed Daemon because of my anger!"

Tai and Matt both paled at that. Tai bit his lower lip. He knew he should have been a better guide to Davis and taught him to exert better control in situations like that but did he know any better in that?

"We all make mistakes, Davis," Matt said earnestly, managing to compose himself seeing Tai unable to talk. "The good thing is you realised what you did wrong. I know this is hard for you but you need to forgive yourself. Anyone can make that mistake and lose control of their emotions." As he said this, he glanced over at Tai who wasn't looking at him causing the blond to frown and turn back to Davis. He would have to talk to Tai about this later.

"But I messed up," Davis admitted. "I was so upset at Daemon hurting Ken so badly that I got really enraged...he means a lot to me, you guys. I just wanted Daemon to suffer retribution and..."

"You did what you did out of love," Matt said honestly. "You didn't do it because you wanted to hurt Veemon. You lost control because Daemon had harmed a person you love more than anything."

Davis blushed deeply at Matt's words, his heart beat speeding up.

"I don't..." Davis moved to deny but Tai finally spoke up, giving him a small smile.

"It's okay if you love him, Davis," Tai told the younger boy gently, trying to push the images of SkullGreymon out of his head and focus on his friend. "I think you should talk things through with him. From what we saw, Ken was pretty injured back there. He'll need his best friend."

Davis tried to calm down his racing heart. Did he feel anything for Ken beyond friendship or was everyone just reading into things? Sure, he was protective over him but everyone was protective over their best friends right? He glanced over at DemiVeemon and knew he should visit Ken. Maybe he would be more willing to forgive him than the others even if he didn't deserve it. He picked up DemiVeemon as the little digimon woke up.

"Davis?" DemiVeemon said blinking and Davis pulled his partner closer to his chest.

"I'm sorry!" Davis whispered, looking into his eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"I already know that, Davis," DemiVeemon said smiling. "Please don't take what the others said to heart, I know you were only upset at what Daemon did to Ken. We'll convince the others together ok?"

"We'll help too," Tai assured Davis, his expression a little distant. "I'm sure T.K. will definitely be sympathetic, don't worry."

"And Ken will definitely understand." Matt chimed in, placing a hand on Tai's shoulder to let him know he was there for him as well. Tai gave Matt a small smile albeit didn't say anything.

Davis smiled, his heart feeling lighter.

"You guys..." Davis breathed, relief evident in his tone. "Thank you."

* * *

Minomon was worried. Even though, the doctors had given positive news, Ken still hadn't woken up. He hoped his partner would be okay. He should have been there when Daemon was torturing him. He should have protected him from what was happening. Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji had brought Ken home from the hospital and he was sitting besides Ken's bed while his parents were outside, crying.

Ken stirred then, his eyes fluttering open. His head was killing him and he felt dizzy. At first instance, he thought he was still in Daemon's cage but realised he was on something warm, opposed to the cold, hard ground. He blinked, when he caught sight of Minomon.

"Ken-chan!" Minomon cried, happiness soaring through his voice. "Mr. Ichijouji, Mrs. Ichijouji, Ken-chan's awake!"

The two parents came rushing in. Mrs. Ichijouji rushed over, pulling Ken into an embrace, crying even more.

"Mom..." Ken said beginning to cry himself. He had thought he'd never see her or Minomon again. He had thought Daemon would win and get his hands on the Dark spore as well as torturing him. "I love you, Mom." He was shaking slightly and held his mother tighter. His father joined in the hug as well and Ken tightened his grip on both of his parents wanting them close to him.

After reassuring them and himself that things were alright, his parents moved away.

"You rest, sweetie," Mrs. Ichijouji said kindly. "I'll bring something for you to eat."

Ken nodded as his parents left the room and Minomon jumped in his arms.

"I was so worried about you, Ken-chan," Minomon said teary-eyed. "I'm sorry I failed at protecting you."

Ken shook his head, smiling at Minomon.

"You didn't fail me at all, Minomon," Ken promised. "You did rescue me from Daemon after all. Thank you."

Minomon frowned at that.

"You're welcome but Davis is the one that saved you," Minomon said softly. "He was really scared for you, Ken-chan and he was so angry at what Daemon did that he..." The little digimon shook upon recollection.

Ken smiled at first, hearing that Davis had been the one to save him from Daemon before frowning at Minomon's next words. A sinking feeling rose up to his chest and he looked at his partner.

"What happened, Minomon?" Ken asked softly. "Is Davis alright?"

"He made Veemon Dark-armour digivolve," Minomon admitted. "Magnamon almost killed Daemon but Kari and I managed to snap Davis out of his rage before more damage could be done. It's just the others aren't willing to forgive Davis for what happened."

Ken listened to Minomon and his eyes filled with tears although he blinked them back. Davis had been so upset about him being hurt that he had lost control. He wasn't worth that but Davis had always given him so much value. His heart ached at the thought of the team throwing Davis out of it. He clenched his hand into a fist.

"I forgive him," Ken said firmly. "I'll support him against the others, Minomon."

"Ken-chan, Cody, Yolei and Kari are really angry," Minomon warned him. "I heard them..."

_"So, why isn't Davis taking Ken home?" T.K. asked Kari curiously causing the brunette's expression to harden and she turned away._

_"After what he did," Kari said quietly. "I doubt even Ken will want to be his friend anymore. It's unforgivable to use the digimon to calm your own anger."_

_"I can't believe he was our leader!" Cody said furiously. "What was Tai thinking?"_

_"I think that he was like him," Kari said a little sadly. "I thought Davis was like Tai too but I guess not."_

_"He's more like Tai than you think," T.K. said sighing a little. "I think you're all being a bit hard on him. He was only upset about what Daemon did to Ken after all."_

_"I think even Ken wouldn't support him in this." Yolei said honestly and T.K. didn't say anything. He just hoped Davis could at least learn to forgive himself even if the others didn't forgive him._

Ken's frown deepened as he heard what Minomon told him.

"How could they be so hard on him?" Ken asked, astonished. "After all he's done for them, he makes one mistake and they all turn against him." He was glad T.K. was being somewhat supportive of Davis but even so while he had expected Cody to be hard on Davis, he would have thought Yolei and Kari would go easy on him.

"He needs your support, Ken-chan," Minomon said softly. "He needs his best friend."

"Of course I'll support him, Wormmon." Ken promised with a small smile. He needed to see Davis as soon as possible.


End file.
